There was nothing particularly fancy about No. 5 Archbishop Curley’s 2-0 decision over fifth-ranked McDonogh on Wednesday afternoon in East Baltimore.

”Beating McDonogh, it was an important win for us,” Curley coach Barry Stitz said. “But it wasn’t our best performance.”

Despite the Eagles’ early-season struggles, Stitz warned the Friars about being complacent.

Curley, which has outscored the opposition, 12-2, in running its record to 3-0 in the beginning stages of Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference race, was definitely more prolific in 5-2 and 5-0 wins over No. 10 Concordia Prep and un-ranked Archbishop Spalding, respectively, last week.

Even so, Curley’s defense, led by seniors Trey Magnaye and Matt Lynard and sophomore Casey Price, was stout while locking down the Eagles’ offense.

”We defended their long throws really well,” Stitz added. “That’s something we really wanted to do. Price was exceptional in the air today.”

And goals by junior forward/midfielder Tristan Brannock, with 18:50 remaining in the first half, and senior Brady Geho, on a direct kick midway through the final period, were more than enough to secure the victory.

“There were three or four people in front of the goal,” Brannock said about being in the middle of the scrum when the ball directed by junior midfielder Phillippe Oliveira came toward him. “I was lucky to get my head on it. It really gave us some momentum.”

Geho, a light-on-his-feet, 6-foot-3, 190-pound St. John’s commit, has already notched seven goals and added one assist this season after producing a healthy 20 goals and six assists a year ago.

McDonogh, which has yet to ripple the net in its first three games, did have some chances to snap their scoreless streak, although none bore fruit.

Senior Tyler Tucker’s header from close range in the 54th minute might have squeezed under the crossbar if Curley keeper Joe Yakim hadn’t tipped it over the goal.

Freshman Maddox Christian also took a booming shot in the second half that had the McDonogh faithful hoping for that elusive first score.

”We were defending hard as a team,” Oliveira said. “Getting this win really puts us in a good position.”

Defensively, though, the Eagles were also resilient, with sophomore Shaun Hauserman and junior Emmett Kershner helping to keep Geho scoreless in the flow of play, although his quickness and feathery touch on the ball were on full display in a couple of instances.

”He’s a special player,” McDonogh coach and Curley alum Brandon Quaranta said. “Overall, I’m happy with the job we did on him today.”

It took a fine diving save by Eagle goalie Jason Broome close to the near post while denying Geho another goal in the second half before the Friar star slid the ball to Oliveira for a close attempt that Broome handled.

Senior forward Camden Keller’s rocket rattled off the post in the 77th minute, ending Curley’s quest to stretch their advantage.

The game’s oddest moment came on Geho’s direct kick, in that it appeared that McDonogh’s misaligned defensive wall allowed the dangerous forward to rip the ball into the net with no obstruction to alter the shot.

“That was bad positioning,” Quaranta said. “That’s the kind of mistake that can’t happen. It’s unacceptable. We’re just going to have to do all the little things right. We had some good moments today, just not enough of them.”

McDonogh will attempt to snap out of its funk when it hosts Concordia Prep, a 3-2 winner over Mount St. Joseph, Friday afternoon.

”Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Quaranta said. “And there are no cupcakes in this league. We need a goal to get us going.”

The Friars, on the other hand, will hit the road to Philadelphia to take on Penn Charter on Friday and St. Joseph’s Prep on Saturday.

NO. 5 ARCHBISHOP CURLEY 2, NO. 7 MCDONOGH 0

McD 0 0 — 0

AC 1 1 — 2

Goals: AC-Tristan Brannock, Brady Geho.

Assist: AC-Phillippe Oliveira.

Saves: McD-Jason Broome 10; AC-Joe Yakim 7.